“Quite right,” said Nibiru. “And I intend to reclaim mine. In fact you should think of me as an uncle of sorts.”
“We know what you are.”
Nibiru held his hand out. “Then you know what I'm capable of,” he said. A small shadow seed formed, floating above his palm with inky black streaks swirling around it.
The Caidoz stepped back.
“You do not have the power to kill us,” Rovgi said.
“True,” Nibiru grinned. “But I can always erase your power and make a slave of you.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
Night had fallen.
The Koiga fortress was in and around a large hill near the shoreline. It looked like a series of buildings stacked or piled together to make a much bigger one.
Dozens of people were moving goods to and from the docks. All of them appeared similar to each other with white skin and little to no hair. Their bodies were covered in red, black or yellow patches.
Hiding in a tree, Leon watched the guards carefully, looking for a way in when a raven suddenly landed on a branch next to him.
The bird made no sound as it watched the fort.
Leon was positive the raven belonged to Lilith.
But if Lilith wanted something, it would have to wait. He could smell Sara's sweet blood coming from the fort.
Without warning, the raven took off straight for a pile of grain bags being unloaded near the front gate. Cawing furiously like it was on fire, it pecked at the food feverishly.
Several Koiga yelled and tried shooing it away, but the bird was feisty. It wasn’t until several teleported hands swat the raven that it flew away.
The Koiga laughed, but after a short moment, a flock of around a dozen came back with a vengeance, tearing at the bags and heckling the men.
It was Leon's chance to run across the clearing, which was easy due to his speed and the time of day. The hard part was the wall. He couldn't simply jump it, not without knowing what was on the other side.
With the Koiga still preoccupied with the ravens, Leon quickly scaled the wall as easily as a spider. Once over, he jumped behind some crates and narrowly avoided being seen by a passing guard.
The Koiga outside went on about their business as the ravens finally dispersed.
Blackness filled Leon's eyes as he activated his enhanced Liro senses. And while he couldn't exactly see through walls, he could detect someone or something, around the next corner.
Leon quietly entered a large tower with several Koiga drinking and bickering over a card game. There was no way to walk by without being seen. Sticking to the shadows, he leapt up to a wooden beam that crossed the room. On the opposite side he crawled up through a window and jumped to another section of the fortress.
The fortress didn't have many hallways. It was more like one room leading to another and so forth. This made it easy for Leon to avoid detection, as he could hide in the dark corners or along the ceiling.
In one room, Leon made it halfway through when he suddenly had to make a mad dash for cover between two wooden horses.
A Koiga seven years old ran in.
It was then Leon saw that he was in a children's play area. He tensed up. His hiding spot was in the shadow, but a direct look would be enough.
The kid rummaged through a box until finding the toy bird he was looking for. He flew it around for a second before noticing that something wasn't right and glanced at the wooden horses.
Leon waved his hand placing the kid in a trance before running out of the room.
A moment later the boy came to. He looked around confused, remembering nothing of the last few seconds.
Outside, Leon scaled walls and dashed across rooftops to the largest part of the fortress. He entered on a balcony overlooking the floor below.
Several Koiga were having a laugh over dinner. Even Leon's squeaking and creaking of the floorboards were ignored as those of other guards along the balcony.
Hiding in an alcove, there was no way Leon could move on without being noticed by a guard ahead. Already burning blood with his enhanced senses, he didn’t want to place another person under a trance, especially an adult. Left with little choice, he pulled out two daggers and quietly assassinated the guard.
A Koiga who heard the scuffle looked only to find darkness.
When the coast was clear, Leon scurried down a flight of stairs. At the bottom was a narrow hallway with only one decent hiding spot between a door and a corner.
A lazy guard at the opposite end never even felt the blood glaive slit his throat.
Leon hid the body and went down another flight of steps to a circular pit-shaped arena outside.
Pillars lined the perimeter of the training area. Equipment such as wooden staffs and rubber balls were strewn about.
Sara lay bound and unconscious in the middle of the room.
Crouching behind a pillar, Leon examined the area and was a bit surprised when he sensed several Koiga lying in ambush. With no reason to hide anymore he walked over to Sara and paused as she came to.
A small smile crossed Sara's face when she saw her friend. “Leon...” she whispered.
Catching a whiff of Sara's scent, Leon unsheathed his sword and plunged it into her heart.
Sara cried out, coughing up blood as her skin pulsated and shifted, turning color to reveal a yellow Koiga.
A black Koiga said as he emerged from his hiding spot at the opposite end of the room. “We've been waiting for you, Leon.”
“Where's the girl?” Leon asked.
“Oh, she's not here. Not anymore,” the Koiga said. “But now that you're here, I must ask you to surrender.”
“I just want the girl,” Leon said. “Give her to me, or I kill all of you.”
With the snap of a finger, several fists shot out of nowhere, bashing Leon across the body.
It was difficult to block or counter a half dozen moving body parts that would disappear and reappear.
Leon grabbed the next hand coming after him and pulled, immediately impaling the Koiga that came through.
With lighting speed, Leon dodged several fists and stabbed an incoming foot, holding it in place as the attacker screamed in pain.
A blood glaive flew off Leon, finding the foot's owner and lodging itself into his head.
Leon caught the black Koiga trying to get the drop on him from behind. He swung his sword and hit the Koiga's arm, but it was like striking granite.
The black patches acted like an automatic defense mechanism, instantly flowing across the skin and hardening into plates of armor.
A boot kicked Leon in the back of the knee, making him buckle and giving the black Koiga a chance to punch him with a rock-hard fist.
Leon recovered quickly and ran full speed around the pillars, slashing the last red Koiga across the stomach.
Another blood glaive leapt off Leon and went after the black Koiga, only to shatter on contact.
Leon attacked with his sword as fast as he could, but the patches did their job well.
The black Koiga stood there laughing.
Frustrated beyond belief, Leon stopped, picked the Koiga up with one hand and threw him violently into one of the pillars, the impact achieving what his blade couldn't.
Alarm bells began to rouse the rest of the fortress.
Looking at the yellow Koiga, sadness overcame Leon as he realized he might never see Sara again.
The same raven from earlier flew into the arena, landing a short distance in front of Leon to get his attention.
As an orange portal flared into existence, the raven cawed and flew through.
Leon didn't want to go. He stood there for a moment afraid of maybe leaving Sara behind, but that gut feeling he rarely got kicked in.
The portal vanished as several Koiga entered the arena, only to find dead soldiers.
In the Netherworld, Leon was in a lavish room with windows on all sides, and two sets of large opulent doors sitting opposite each other. The view outside gave him the imp
ression that the room was suspended or hanging in midair amongst the clouds.
Lilith walked in, with a table and two chairs sprouting in the middle of the room. Taking a seat, she invited Leon to join her.
“Been watching me lately?” Leon asked as he sat.
“I've always had an eye on you,” Lilith answered. “But aside from that, I hear you're looking for someone.”
“I would say that's a good guess.”
Lilith made another chair emerge from the floor. “There's not much that gets by me. Leon, right now most of my people are fighting the Pelasgians. Rhea is in danger of being wiped out, and you're chasing after a human girl.”
Leon folded his arms. “I'm sure most of Rhea can handle itself.”
“Is she really worth it?” asked Lilith. “Others may not see it, but I do. You have feelings for Sara.”
“Maybe I do,” Leon admitted. “It's amazing how strong she is in spite of her frailness. Makes me wish she was a Vesuvian, but then I don't think I would like her as much.”
Lilith stared at the empty chair. “Do you trust me?”
It was an odd question until the doors behind Leon opened and Eris entered.
As soon as Leon could raise his sword, Lilith paralyzed him from the neck down. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I need you to listen,” Lilith said.
Leon struggled hard to free himself. “We can't trust her!”
“Please,” Lilith begged. “I am asking you to trust me, and hear what she has to say.”
Leon could only think of how close he came to killing Eris, and failing. Now here she was again, and there was nothing he could do. “Fine,” he said, before hearing a female’s voice inside his head.
“My name is Eris,” she said telepathically.
Lilith released her hold on Leon when she sensed him calming down.
“What do you want?” Leon asked.
Eris slowly moved closer to Lilith, making sure to keep her distance from Leon. “As Nibiru's quest has been one of seeking immortality, mine has been to find that which will destroy him.”
Leon sat back down. “And you know what that is?”
“Yes, you know what I speak of.”
“I wish I had the same confidence,” Leon said. “What makes you so sure?”
Eris stood behind Lilith, not trusting of Leon. “One is easily betrayed by his emotions. And it seems Nibiru is no different. He is blind with desperation. Even now he seeks to manipulate you through your friend.”
“You know where Sara is?” Leon asked.
“I can take you to her,” Eris said. “But you must not confront Nibiru. Not yet.”
“Believe me, I don't plan to.”
Eris came out from behind Lilith, taking a step toward Leon. “The time will come when you will have no choice but to face him, and it is then you will be able to save not only Rhea, but everyone.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Richard led the way through the forest. His comrades were close behind, moving as fast as they could without tiring themselves out. But the long run was beginning to take its toll.
Thomas fell against a tree, vomiting and bringing the group to a halt.
“Are you okay there?” Jacob asked, wiping sweat off his forehead.
“I'll be fine,” Thomas answered. “I just need a minute.”
Arthur sat on a broken log. “We could probably walk from here. Richard, how far do we have to go?”
The broken log and two oddly misshapen trees gave Richard a clue where they were. “Two or three minutes, but I don't think it's a good idea to stop, or walk. The Pelasgians are probably not far behind.”
“Not far behind?” Thomas said in disbelief. “We've been running ahead of them the whole time.”
“If they have a fast moving forward element they could be a half hour away, less even.”
Jacob sat next to Arthur. “Do you think William made it back?”
“He better have,” said Arthur. “It's the only way New Haven will be ready.”
Richard took a deep breath. “That smell keeps getting worse. We should move. It's not much further.”
Knowing New Haven wasn't much further made it easier for the men to carry on. When the city finally came into view they got a second wind.
The gate began to open with William on his way out and spotting his incoming friends. “Oh, this can't be good.”
“Thomas,” Arthur called. “You and Jacob report to the Marshal. Stock up and regroup. Richard and I will handle things here.”
“What happened?” William asked.
“Pelasgians are on their way,” Richard said as he ran by. “You may want to brace the gate.”
Inside the city, Thomas and Jacob borrowed a couple of horses from the soldiers and quickly rode off.
“Sound the alarm!” Arthur ordered, as he and Richard jogged down the street.
As several flares were fired off in succession throughout New Haven, thousands of soldiers rushed to defend the wall or prepare siege weapons.
Arthur and Richard entered a pub that had been converted into a makeshift command post. They found some soldiers going over maps of the area with several of his Captains.
One of them, an older man with a scar running down the left side of his face, looked up. “Back so soon?”
Arthur went over to the table. “General Ward, bad news. The Pelasgians are heading this way as we speak.”
“How far,” Ward asked.
Richard came forward. “Half hour, maybe less,” he said.
Ward went back to his map for a moment before addressing his men. “It looks like the fight is coming to us. You all know what to do. Carry on.”
“General, my men and I can help,” Arthur said.
Ward motioned for Arthur and Richard to sit. “Everyone knows you guys know how to fight. Heck, I don't think anyone will argue that pound-for-pound you're the best. But armies fight wars. So I'd prefer to keep your men in a support capacity.”
Richard wasn’t thrilled with the idea of taking a backseat in the fight. “With all due respect, General, there may not be many of us, but we're much more mobile.”
“I'll keep that in mind,” Ward said, rifling through some papers until finding several sketches of Pelasgians. “Is there anything you can tell me about these guys the Rheans haven't? Anything at all?”
“No,” Arthur answered. “We did locate the main camp and I can assure you that those drawings don't do justice to the actual thing.”
Ward studied the sketches. “I can believe that an invading army threatens our interests here in Rhea, but I have a hard time believing where that army comes from.”
Arthur began to feel precious time ticking by. “We've verified the Shadow Realm does exist. I can’t vouch enough for the person who-”
“Yes, I read Sara's report,” Ward said. “But do you trust the Rheans? Are we sure they are telling us the whole story?”
“Sara thinks so,” Richard answered. “She's spent some time with them, especially the Vesuvians.”
“We can trust them,” said Arthur. “The Rheans have been very forthcoming with requests for information regarding the size and location of their armies, a few of which were already known to us or have been able to verify.”
Ward reclined in his chair, mumbling. “It's a good thing you feel that way.”
Arthur wasn’t sure how to take that. “General?”
Leaning forward, Ward picked up another sketch and studied it. “In Gaia, we received the Consular's letter. Do you know what that letter said?”
“No,” Arthur replied.
Ward laughed. “Neither do I, but whatever it was, it wasn't nearly enough to convey the magnitude of the situation. Had I known! I would have requisitioned...oh, I don't know... maybe forty percent more men and materiel. Then again, I could've dragged every man, woman and child from Gaia over and it still wouldn't have been enough.”
Arthur knew better than to try and allay Ward.
&nb
sp; Richard didn't. “Um...General, I know the situation may seem dire.”
“Do you know the situation?” Ward asked calmly.
Arthur grabbed Richard by the wrist underneath the table, telling him to stop before he could speak any more.
Ward tossed the sketch and sat back. “A short time ago, a Vesuvian courier arrived. She told me that almost every city in Rhea was under threat of attack. Do you know how massive an army would have to be in order to do that?”
Even Richard had nothing to say.
“As it stands,” Ward continued, “our best hope is that the enemy is spread thin. Otherwise, I'm willing to bet whoever is in charge of the Pelasgians has the muscle to back these numbers up.”
Arthur and Richard waited until they were dismissed by the General to join William at the main gate. As they waited, Thomas and Jacob soon returned and an army rumbled closer.
General Ward was busy barking orders at his men.
Everyone could hear the footsteps of the terrosaurs, and the breaking of the trees they knocked over.
“Get your bows ready,” Arthur said. “Concentrate your fire on any airborne mounts.”
The Pelasgians emerged from the woods, marching at a steady pace. As they came within a hundred yards of New Haven, Erinies and Corinthian's on their griffins circling above swooped down on the humans defending the wall.
Several dozen soldiers were killed in the initial exchange.
One Corinthian was thrown from his injured griffin to his death on the other side of the wall, and an Eriny was brave enough to try taking on a cadre of soldiers.
Arthur and his men managed to quickly kill three Corinthians and two of their griffins, with the third griffin landing inside the city and going after some soldiers.
Richard jumped down and landed on the griffin, killing it with his talons to the back of its head.
Archers and catapults stood ready to shoot as the terrosaurs came closer.
“Fire,” Ward cried.
At once, thousands of arrows and dozens of boulders went hurtling through the air. Many Pelasgians were able to protect themselves with their shields, though quite a few were injured or killed.
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